Town Hall Reports

September 2017

by James Rada, Jr.

Emmitsburg

Creamery Road to be Closed for VHC Spring Fling

Anticipating that the Vigilant Hose Company and Emmitsburg Ambulance Company will be combined by the end of this year, next year’s Spring Fling for Vigilant Hose Company will be held at the ambulance company building on Creamery Road. In the past, this event has taken place at Mount St. Mary’s University and has drawn crowds up to 2,000 people.

Vigilant Hose Company President Frank Davis asked the commissioners to close Creamery Road from Quality Tire to Creamery Way from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on the day of the event next spring. It is felt the closure is needed to deal with the amount of traffic that will be in the area for the Spring Fling.

Maryland State Highway Administration has already given their approval since the closure is far enough away not to impact traffic on the state roads.

The Emmitsburg Commissioners approved the temporary closure.

Employee Handbook Changes

The Emmitsburg Commissioners approved recommended changes to the town employee handbook. Because it has been some years since it was last updated, the handbook needed to be brought into compliance with current state and federal laws. It also incorporated some best practices and was made easier to read and understand.

New Water and Sewer Truck Approved

The Emmitsburg Commissioners voted in September to replace a GMC Sonoma used by the water and sewer department. The Sonoma was fourteen years old and had 110,000 miles on it. The new truck will be a Chevy Silverado with a snow plow attached. The winning bid of $46,996 came from Wantz Chevrolet in Taneytown.

Work Continues On Dog Park

The grading for the new Emmitsburg dog park has been completed. The town has also received all bids to install the fencing for the park, but has not yet accepted a contractor to do the work.

Thurmont

Vote in the 2017 Town Election

October 3 is the last day to register to vote for mayor and two commissioners in the upcoming town election. Absentee ballot applications will be available on October 6, and the election will be held on October 31 at the Guardian Hose Activities Building, located at 123 East Main Street. Polls will be open from 7:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m. Anyone in line at the time of closing will be permitted to vote.

Colorfest Parking Restrictions and Road Closures

Colorfest will be held on October 13-15. With it, comes a lot of traffic that the town must accommodate. No parking will be allowed on the east side of Apples Church Road, from Carroll Street to Eyler Road, during the weekend. Thurmont Police have been directed to strictly enforce these restrictions. No parking will be allowed on East Moser Road, North Church Street, North Carroll Street, and all ramps leading onto and exiting Route 15. The “No Parking” areas will be marked with signs.

The following streets will be closed from 8:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday: Frederick Road (from Moser Road to Water Street); Water Street (from Summit Avenue to Main Street); S. Center Street; Park Lane; Municipal Alley; Polley’s Alley.

Commissioners Look to Spur Growth in Thurmont

The Thurmont Mayor and Commissioners have begun speaking about ways to provide developers with “a little incentive for them to come to Thurmont and do some development.” The town hasn’t seen any significant growth since 2007.

Currently, home builders have to pay $12,660 in fees when they make their application to the town to build. Mayor John Kinnaird suggested that some of the fees could be delayed. Some of these deferred fees could be the impact fee, the wastewater impact fee, the roads fee, and the parks fee. These could be deferred until settlement since that is when the new home starts to have an effect on these items.

The connection fees would still need to be collected up front because the town spends money to have its crews make the connections to the town’s water and sewer systems.

Commissioner Bill Buehrer said that the town’s Economic Development Committee has also been considering similar things to promote development, and will be making some recommendations to the town.

Colorfest Services Approved

Each year, the Town of Thurmont incurs costs related to Colorfest. These services are security, trash, port-a-potties, and buses. They are paid for with the permit fees that the Colorfest vendors pay.

This year, only one company submitted a bid for each service, and they are businesses that have worked with the town in the past.

“They’ve always provided an excellent service for us, and they are very dependable; they know Colorfest in and out,” said Chief Administrative Officer James Humerick.

May Security of Frederick will provide twenty-nine security guards and a supervisor for both days of Colorfest at a cost of $13,224. This represents no increase over 2016.

Key Sanitation of Dickerson will provide the toilets at a cost of $9,936, and trash service at a cost of $2,264. This also represents no change over 2016.

Rills Bus Service of Westminster will provide eight standard buses and one wheelchair accessible bus on Saturday and six standard buses and one wheelchair accessible bus on Sunday at a cost of $12,464. This is an increase of $576 over 2016.

The commissioners unanimously approved the bids.

Board of Appeals Vacancies

Thurmont has openings for a regular member and an alternate member on its board of appeals. Anyone interested in serving should contact the Thurmont Town Office at 301-271-7313.

Volunteers Needed for Halloween in the Park

The Town of Thurmont is seeking volunteers to help with the annual Halloween in the Park event. This year’s event will be held on October 28. If you would like to help, please contact the town office at 301-271-7313.